The Paper Route
by Call Me Nettie
Summary: Just a little Two Shot in honor of Arnold's birthday yesterday.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N** I woke up this morning and as I prepared myself to get up and start the day this little one shot popped into my head. Realizing that yesterday was Arnold's birthday I decided to post it as a sort of belated birthday gift to him. So, Happy Birthday, Arnold.

The Paper Route

She woke up even before the sun had made its way over the horizon. She knew what day it was, she felt it in her soul. It was October 5th, the anniversary of the day Arnold's parents went missing. No one had to tell her. Over the years she had become so in tuned with him that it was almost as if she could always feel his strongest emotions.

Normally on this date she would do her best to stay out of his way, her little gift to him. It was her way of saying "I feel your pain buddy and I understand". But being older now she felt she wanted to do something a little more. A grand gesture one could say. After giving it some thought she jumped out of bed and hurried to get dressed.

Last year, when Arnold turned ten, he took on the job as paperboy, his route being the neighborhood of the PS 118 gang. She knew this, and she knew who each of his customers were. She also knew that any time now a stack of papers would be delivered to his front stoop for folding and delivering so she didn't have much time to spare.

Grabbing her bike and helmet she took off into the still dark streets towards the boarding house,

His alarm went off and rolling over his hand hit the off switch a little harder than he had meant to. It had been a rough night for him, anticipating what was always the worse day of each year. He grabbed the picture he kept of his parents off his shelf, his fingers touching the cool glass that covered it. Looking out the glass ceiling that covered his room, he watched the fading stars as the bourgeoning sun began extinguishing their glow one by one. Dreading the day before him he pushed himself out of bed and got dressed. Passing the quiet doors of the sleeping tenants he let himself out the front door to begin the tedious folding process of the papers that needed delivering.

As he opened the door his eyes fell upon Helga as she sat. There was a pile of neatly folded newspapers, bound in rubber bands, sitting beside her. Rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming he walked down the steps to her.

"Helga?" He questioned.

She looked up from her task and gave him a quiet smile. Without saying anything she continued folding.

He sat down beside her, a look of confusion on his face.

"What are you doing?"

She replied to him teasingly and without malice for once, "I'm sailing the Seven Seas looking for America, Arnoldo, what does it look like I'm doing? Doi."

"I can see that, but what I mean is, _Why?_ "

Knowing his sensitivity over the day she kept her voice soft. "I couldn't sleep and was restless. I felt like getting out for some exercise so I took a bike ride through the neighborhood and saw your stack of papers. I thought I'd do a good deed and decided to help fold your papers. Nothing to get your shorts up in a knot over."

Still unable to take it all in he just gave her a lone "Oh", and helped her fold the rest of the papers.

When they were done she got up and began stuffing the small basket on her bike with his charge. He stuffed his bag with the rest.

"I'll take that side of the street, Arnoldo," she said as she pointed across the way, "you can take the other."

"You don't have to do this Helga."

"I know." She said as she sped off to the corner house.

Still at a loss for anything coherent to say he followed her on the opposite side of the street. They paralleled each other for a while in silence, only broken with the occasional "Hey Arnold" whenever her basket became empty. They'd meet in the middle of the street and silently refill her stock.

By the third time her basket needed refilling he had relaxed a bit and actually had begun to smile. He noticed the rosy glow to her cheeks from the exercise of pedaling her bike for so long. That, combined with the content smile that played on her face seemed to take away a bit of the hurt. Replacing it with a calm he never thought he'd find on a day like today.

As time went on their ride became more playful. Their bikes cutting in to each other's path, short races to the next corner. At one point Arnold even brought his bike as close as he could get to hers and reaching out, pulled on one of the pig tails that stuck out from her helmet, eliciting a childish giggle from her and giving him a small thrill.

The route finally ended down towards the harbor end of the town. There was a donut shop that was just opening up.

"Hey, Helga, how about I buy you breakfast for all your hard work?" Arnold asked, hoping she'd say yes.

"Okay, Hair Boy, I could use the fuel for the ride back."

This made him happier than he realized it would and, dismounting their bikes he held the door for her as she entered the shop. The smell of her shampoo hit his nose as she walked by, causing him to take a deep breath. The scent filled him and he held his breath for a moment, storing it to memory.

They made their purchase and placing their bounty in her bike's basket took off towards the Warf. They walked to the end of the pier, donuts and chocolate milks in hand and sat at its edge, dangling their feet above the water.

They were comfortable in their silence and ate peacefully, watching as the fishing boats floated in with their catch.

Arnold found that he was sad to take his last bite of donut, knowing that that would hail in the end of their morning together and he would have to say good-bye. Taking his time with the last of his drink he noticed her hand sitting beside her on the pier. Placing his own over hers she turned and their eyes locked.

"Helga, I want to th…."

She cut him off. "Save it Football Head, it's no big deal, just one friend helping another out." Thinking, she added, "I just wanted to make this day a little better for you is all."

Smiling, he squeezed her hand and no more was said on the subject.

Finally the time had come for them to head back. As before the ride was playful and carefree.

When they reached her house she got off her bike and started to hoist it up the stairs. Getting off his he hurried to catch up to her and took the bike from her, leaning it up against the front door.

Looking her in the eye he surprised himself as he leaned forward and gave her a kiss on her cheek. With his face in full blush he said, "Thanks, Helga."

Trying her best to hold on to her composure she gave a demure smile and said, "Anytime, Arnold."

He watched her as she entered her house before getting back on his bike. By now the neighborhood was beginning to wake up. He rode the rest of the way home with a smile on his face.

He met his grandfather as he entered the house. Knowing how this day always made Arnold feel he was gentle as he spoke to the boy.

"Good morning Shortman, how're you doing today?"

Giving the question some thought Arnold smiled and said, "You know, Grandpa, I'm going to be okay."

The End


	2. The Promise

**A/N** I had meant for The Paper Route to be a one shot, but ever since writing it I couldn't shake the feeling that it was unfinished. I specifically wrote this next part just for the last bit at the end because what he does is just so Arnold that it had to be written, lol. So I think I've finally gotten this out of my system and can move on. I do hope you like it and that it doesn't detract from the original piece. Please enjoy…..

The Paper Route Part II

The Promise

Nothing was ever said of that October morning. When Arnold approached her at school later that day and tried to thank her once again she brushed it off and again said it was nothing, just one friend helping another. Knowing how much Helga hated to let her true feelings show he respected her decision to ignore it, but he never forgot it.

A year later, the now seventh grader, Arnold, awakes to his alarm clock. Knowing the date he takes a few minutes to let his mind wander. Unbeknownst to her, Helga's small act of kindness the year before had done its job. Yes, Arnold still feels the pain of losing his parents, but the sharp edge of it is now dulled a bit by the memory of walking outside last year and seeing Helga on his doorstep. As he gets up the thoughts of his parents are moved aside by the memories of Helga's flushed cheeks as they rode side by side on their bicycles, and of how her hand felt in his at the end of their ride as they sat watching the sun come up on the docks and of the stolen kiss he gave her cheek right before she disappeared into her house.

Still holding the job as neighborhood paperboy, he forces himself out of bed and gets dressed. As always the house is quiet as he makes his way out the door. As he steps outside he is once again taken by surprise to see Helga at work folding his papers. He rubs his eyes to make sure it's not just his hopeful imagination. When he reopens them she is still there, quietly working.

He sits down next to her happily confused.

"I didn't expect to see you here this morning." He says as he picks up the papers she's folded and puts them in his bag.

"Yeah, well, I just happened to be up and I remembered how much fun it was the last time we delivered papers so I thought since I was up I'd come over and help again."

"Well, I'm glad you did."

With nothing more needed to be said the two went about completing the job of delivering papers. Just like last year the mood was light and care free. Being alone on the streets with the rest of the neighborhood quietly slumbering they were free to be themselves around each other. They didn't need to worry about prying eyes and gossiping lips. It was "their" time and it was wonderful. They never told anyone of their clandestine meet ups, keeping it their little secret.

And so the years went on. Arnold had kept the paper route all through middle and high school. With the early morning hours he could get up, get the job done, and have the rest of the day freed up for school or sports or even just hanging with friends. He also found that he enjoyed the early hours. He liked being alone with his thoughts as he geared up for the day ahead. In those short couple hours before the rest of the world came to life he could work out in his head any problems or conflicts he may be going through, and he could think about her.

She was an enigma to him. A puzzle that he just couldn't quite figure out. He often thought of her as a marshmallow that is held too close to the flame. All fiery and hot on the outside, but soft and sweet on the inside. He had vowed that one day he would break through that charred surface she hid behind, but for now he would play along, letting her think she'd had him fooled.

Somewhere around the third or fourth year it became tradition that on October 5th Arnold would step outside to find Helga manning her spot on his front steps. They would say their good mornings to each other go about the task at hand. Each year Helga was there, rain or shine, in sickness and health.

One year she showed up with a fever of 101. Arnold could see that she was sick and insisted that she go home and go to bed.

"Helga, you're going to get pneumonia or something. You need to go home."

"Relax Hair Boy," she said, waving him off, "You know what they say, 'neither snow, nor rain, nor 100 degree fever shall stay this courier from her appointed rounds.'"

"That's the postal code and it says nothing about fevers."

"Don't worry, Arnoldo, I'll be fine."

She wasn't fine though. She ended up in bed later that day with an even higher fever and had to put up with him sitting at the foot of her bed, chicken soup in hand, lecturing her with a series of "I told you so's" as he spooned soup into her mouth.

As they went through high school the bond between them grew even though neither one of them would admit it. They were good for each other, each one bringing out the best in the other. He softened her gruff exterior while she taught him to live a little more on the edge of life. They were a couple that didn't know they were a couple. Everyone else knew, but kept their opinions to themselves and let the two continue to go about fooling each other. Whenever there was a dance, or a party, or any get together really, they would go separately and then, like clockwork, gravitate towards each other and there they'd stay for the rest of the evening. Every once in a while someone would ask them what the deal was between them and they would always give the standard, 'we're just friends' answer then change the subject.

This went on for eight years. Eight October mornings when the world stood still for a brief amount of time, eight years of dancing around feelings that were always left unsaid. Until finally the inevitable happened.

They had come to the end of the 12th grade. College applications sent off and acceptance letters arriving daily. They had each settled on separate colleges almost 1,000 miles apart. They both knew what this would mean but refused to acknowledge it until there was no other choice. So it was with heavy heart as they walked across that stage and accepted their high school diplomas.

The next day Helga receives a text from Arnold.

" _I need to see you. Can I come pick you up in ten minutes?"_

Curious about what he could possibly want she replies,

" _Sure, I'll be outside waiting."_

Ten minutes later she's in his car as they head off to the little donut shop that they'd always stop at when they came to the end of his paper route.

Buying their typical donut and chocolate milk, they make their way to the edge of the dock and sit down. He has his backpack with him which she finds odd but doesn't say anything about it.

After they quietly eat their donuts he takes her hand, looking into her eyes.

"So, I guess this is it, our last summer before everyone heads their separate ways."

Not really wanting to discuss this right now she hangs her head fighting hard not to cry.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"I have something I want to give you before things get crazy with preparing for college."

He reaches into his backpack and pulls out a box that is tied up with a pink ribbon.

She takes it from him. "What's this?"

"Open it." Is all he says.

Untying the ribbon she opens the box and finds a neatly folded newspaper sitting on top of a stack of unfolded ones. She looks at him confused.

"I don't get it." She says.

"Look at the dates." He says as he points to the top of the papers.

Picking up the folded paper first she looks at the date, it says October 5th and is from the very first year she helped him with his route. Thumbing through the rest she notices they are all dated the 5th, starting with the first year and ending with this last October.

She looks at him, a tear gliding down her cheek. He reaches out with his index finger and brushes it away.

Looking at him her voice is almost a whisper. "I don't understand."

"After dropping you off that first morning I went back home and discovered an extra paper at the bottom of my bag. For some reason something compelled me to keep it. Then when you showed up the next year, and the one after that I just decided to keep one each time you were there to help."

He picks up the top paper and holds it out to her. She takes it and notices something hard is wrapped up in it. Unfolding the paper she finds a small, velvet ring box.

"Arnold?" She says questioningly.

He takes the box from her and opens it up. Inside is a delicate silver ring. In the middle of it sits a small blue sapphire. The sun hits it making it sparkle up at her. He takes the ring and holds it out to her.

"I know this is a lot to ask, and I know I have no right to expect you to put your life on hold for the next four years, but, well, I want us to make each other a promise. I want us to promise that no matter what happens while we're away at college, we will come back to each other."

Crying now she is unable to speak. All she can do is shake her head yes as he slips the ring on her right hand. He kisses her softly at first before eight years of pent up passion rushes through him causing the kiss to deepen and linger.

They sit on the dock now, arms around each other, feet dangling above the water, heads together as they discuss a future that they owe all to a little boy's paper route.

The End

(For reals this time, I think)


End file.
